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Packing carry-on only is often not the answer, as many discount airlines have a weight limit that is far less than the typical carry-on.

You could always pack your excesses and mail them ahead, but they may or may not arrive in time.

I think a train is often the best option. It is more comfortable, more scenic, and often faster when you consider how much time it takes to get to and on a flight. For a long leg (recall that Europe is more compact, so many legs are short), I would look for a full-service airline.

I paid a total of 97 euros, for TWO adult tickets to fly from Barcelona to Paris on Easyjet. That included checking one bag each, and all taxes. So sorry, don't see how that was expensive.
We flew from Nice to Barcelona on Vueling, and the checked bag I paid for cost me 11 euros ,, sorry, considering I only paid less then 40 euros for my ticket I sure don't think I got ripped off there either.

Where it DOES get expensive is when you go over the weight allowence , on Vueling you can pay between 11-25 euros for checked luggage up to 23 kg.. after that its 10 euros a kg,, now that would hurt!

Or you are the sort of person who thinks that when the airline says one piece of hand luggage they actually mean several pieces, or the sort of person who when told you must check-in online and print off the boarding card then doesn't.

The carry on size for an airline like Easy Jet or Ryan air is ridiculous-no purse,no laptop,etc. without it going in your carry on bag which is supposed to be the size of a postage stamp.
And yes, I am a flight attendant with a major US international airline and complain about the crap that people bring on my flights all the time!

One big chunk of those airline's business is people going away for a party weekend in Berlin or Barcelona, three days sigtseeing in London, commuting between home and work (as far as Eastern Europe/ British Isles) or going for a week in the sun in Southern Spain.
None of these activities require a lot of luggage and you see the majority of passengers doing it with those small carry-ons.
The problems of a world jetsetter away on a 6 week vacation who needs either a big carry-on or a checked suitcase no not exactly touch the core business of those airlines.
Especially Ryanair's bag fees are hilarious in high season to many destinations. But otoh I don't know if something like an extra €25-40 for a checked bag is that relevant when you fly 1-2K kms and compare options, like outrageuos one-way fares for legacy airlines, costs for gas (40 euros will buy you half a tank) or an overnight train in high season. It can be cheaper and comparing full prices (incl. Travel to/from low budget airports) is always a must, though.

Dutyfree, yes, I just flew on Easyjet this summer, and yes, its one carry on, but it was most certainly not the size of a postage stamp and I was able to put full size messenger styple purse inside my carryon . Its best to check each airlines requirements individually , not to make or trust blanket statements that may not be valid in each case( as in this one about Easyjet).

Vueling is an affordable airline and allows one carry on and a purse or laptop. Ryanair is known to be one of the most restrictive airlines, but worse, uses far flung airports that can great increase travel time and comute costs( ie airport they use for Paris is 90 kms away, and no direct train service, and 1.5 hours of travel at least)